Seattle Mariners fire longtime manager ahead of SF Giants series

The SF Giants are in Seattle for a three-game series against the Mariners. However, the Mariners will have a new face in the dugout as longtime manager Scott Servais was fired on Thursday according to a team announcement. Dan Wilson will step in as the manager.

Seattle Mariners fire longtime manager ahead of SF Giants series

Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reports that Edgar Martínez is expected to be added to Wilson's coaching staff in some capacity. The Hall of Famer previously served as a hitting coach for the Mariners in the mid-2010's, but was reassigned to an advisor role after the 2018 season to spend more time with his family.

Wilson and Martínez have longstanding ties to the organization. Of course, Martínez spent all 18 years of his career with the Mariners before being elected to the Hall of Fame. On the other hand, Wilson appeared in 14 major league seasons with 12 of them coming in a Mariners uniform.

The longstanding ties should help the transition as most Mariners players have likely worked with either coach in the past. With that being said, going with familiarity is not always the best move. Oftentimes, it is best to bring someone from outside of the organization.

Before Servais was hired as the Mariners' manager, he was a longtime catcher, appearing in 11 seasons in the majors. This includes one full season with the Giants in 1999 and then a very brief stint with the club at the end of the 2000 season. Of course, he is not to be confused with veteran reliever Scott Service, who had the best year of his 12-year career in a Giants uniform in 1995.

Servais was hired as the Mariners' manager before the 2016 season. He managed through some lean years, but put together a respectable .514 winning percentage as the team's skipper. This includes leading Seattle to a playoff appearance in 2022, ending a 21-year playoff drought.

The Mariners looked like a legitimate playoff contender not that long ago, but hit a recent 2-8 stretch that has seemingly knocked them out of the playoff picture. At that point, team president of baseball operations Jerry DiPoto determined that a change was needed.

While the Mariners have struggled on the field, they have a very strong pitching staff as they lead baseball with a 3.53 ERA. The offense has struggled to a 96 wRC+ in 2024. It is fair to say that a better lineup would have put them comfortably in the playoff mix.

Despite this, they will be a tough opponent for the Giants. The record might be deceiving, but teams that can pitch are hard to beat.